SARA Café Welcomes Laura B. Hansen!

The SARA Café is an occasional feature that puts the spotlight on a SARA author. This month, Laura B. Hansen joins us.

by Mary Brand

SC: When did you join SARA and for what reason?
LBH: I joined SARA in December 2013 so that I could be surrounded by like-minded people who could inspire me to finally pursue my dream of becoming a romance author. I found out about the group from my childhood friend, Jolene Navarro, who showed me that following the dream can lead to becoming published.

SC: What sub-genre of romance stories do you write?
LBH: Nailing down one sub-genre is tough and my ADHD just won’t allow me to do so. So I’m currently working on an inspirational book, a historical book, and a contemporary book.

SC: What about the romance genre appeals to you?
LBH: I’m all about the happy ending, with true love winning out over all else. But I also love how characters grow as they discover the impact love can have on their lives and how the plot twists add to the feeling of love triumphing over anything that stands in its way.

SC: Do you consider yourself a romantic?
More times than I can count I’ve been accused of being a hopeless romantic. And I’ve proven it in real life by marrying my third husband after the first two didn’t prove to be faithful. Talk about perseverance. My husband is proof that the third time’s the charm. My parents and most of my aunts and uncles have been married for over 50 years, and my dream was always to find that kind of magical love that stands the test of time.

SC: If you could have any actor/actress cast as the hero/heroine of your latest work, who would you choose and why?
LBH: For the inspirational romance I’m currently working on, I’d choose Chris Evans for purely selfish reasons: He’s smokin’ hot and that’s the only way I’d ever meet him! Plus, my 16-year-old son idolizes him, so I’d allow him a few minutes to chat.

SC: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hidden talents?
LBH: Nerd alert: I’m an avid reader, both of classics and romances. I’ve been known to stay up all night and take the next day off work if I get really into a book. During work-free daylight hours, gardening takes up a ridiculous amount of my time. And my KitchenAid mixer is my best friend. Additionally, I love to go fishing, even if my husband still has to take the fish off my hook because it grosses me out.

SC: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
LBH: I really enjoy the editing and revision aspects of the process: going back in to hone the craft really fascinates me. About the time I think something is done, I give it one more read and discover a new, more interesting or entertaining way of saying it. It’s like a puzzle that one never really completes.

SC: Name one of the challenges you had writing or as an author and how you met that challenge.
LBH: There’s a tie for first place in the area of challenges as an author: Lack of discipline and lack of confidence: It’s difficult to write romance on my time off since I write K-12 assessments all day, but romance writing is so fun! I’m still working on how to meet this challenge, but one strategy has been to set aside time each weekend to write in large blocks of time. Sometimes, though, I’m just out of words or can’t shift gears.
And I have a really hard time sharing my work, which I realize I need to get over since my ultimate goal is to be published. I submitted to a writing contest a few months ago to try to get over this fear, and read aloud one of my responses to a SARA activity at our last meeting, so I guess my strategy is to take baby steps to expose my sensitive underbelly.

SC: Thanks so much for the interview, Laura! It’s great getting to know more about you!

About SARA

San Antonio Romance Authors is a chapter of the Romance Writers of America® (RWA), a nonprofit trade association whose mission is to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.
No matter where you are in your journey—beginner, intermediate, or long-standing published author—your voice, your talent, and your energy are welcome here.